House-door letter-box



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. l

A. H. STEWART. HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX.

No. 492,443. 3 P45 11444 Feb. 28, 1893.

4/ I N a V k A (No Model.) 2 ShGGtS-'Sh98t 2.

'A. H. STEWART. HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX.

No. 492,443. Patented Feb. 28, 1893.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN H. STEWART, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,443, dated February 28, 1893. Application filed April 25, 1892. Serial No. 430,621. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, ALLEN H. STEWART, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Letter-l3ox, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to be'found in the provision of means for receiving and retaining mail matter and articles of an analogous nature, which means shall be convenient in point of convenience, easy of operation, and secure in the retention of the articles deposited therein.

My invention consists primarily and broadly in the arrangement within the Wall of a building, of a receptacle for mail, which receptacle is provided with an ingress opening on one side, and an egress opening on the side opposite to the ingress opening.

My invention consists further in the combination with a wall opening of a box fitted within said opening, a hinged flap on one side of said box, a hinged door on the side of said box opposite to said flap, and means for retaining the mail within said box when said door is opened, together with means for adapting said box to Walls of varying thicknesses.

My invention consists further in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view on the indicated line XX of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the indicated line Y-Y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an interior perspective view of the complete receptacle. Fig. i is an exterior perspective view of the complete receptacle, detached from the wall.

In the construction of the apparatus as shown, the numeral designates wall studding, 11 the sheathing, 12 the lath, 13 the plaster, and 14. the inside face casing.

A frame, comprising sides 15, and top and bottom ends 16, is mounted in an opening formed in the wall as shown, and the face casing 14 is secured to the inner edges of said frame by means of nails in a common manner. A face plate 17,having flanges 18 thereon,is secured on the outer edges of said frame by so monnting said plate on said frame as that the said flanges inclose the side pieces thereof. Slots 19 are formed in the flanges 18, and bolts 20 passed through said slots also pass through perforations in said side pieces 15. A flap 21 is hinged over an opening 22 in the face plate 17, andabead 23 on the face plate coincides with a groove on the said flap. A thumb piece 24 is formed on the outside of the flap 21,by means of which the flap is lifted to facilitate the putting of mail into the receptacle. A door 25 is hinged in the inner portion of the frame and forms the front of the box Within the room.

Stops 26 are fixed to the sides 15 and ends 16 of the frame, and a rod 27 extends transversely of the said frame at a point inside of said stops. A wire-cloth screen 28 is secured to the rod 27 and extends downward therefrom to a point of attachment tothe bottom of said frame.

A look 29 is provided, by means of which the door 25 is secured when closed, and a window 30 in the door 25 provides means for viewing the interior.

In the practical use of my invention, the mail is deposited within the box through the opening 22 after the flap 21 is lifted, and is withdrawn through the doorway from the interior of the building.

It will be observed that when the door25 is opened for any cause the mail is prevented from falling out of the box by the screen 28.

The bead 23 on the face plate 17 fitting as it does into a corresponding groove in the flap 21 prevents rain, dust or other undesirable substances from entering the box.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, 1s

1. In a letter box the combination with a frame forming the sides and ends of said box, of a faceplate forming the front of said box, flanges formed on and projecting from the rear of said face plate, and slots in said flanges, through which slots bolts are adapted to be passed to secure said face plate to the said frame, whereby the said box is adapted for walls of varying thicknesses.

2. A letter box comprising a containing receptacle for the mail, means of ingress to said receptacle, means of egress from said receptacle, and a screen located Within said recep- 

